EPA Starts 3-Month Cleanup at Warehouse Site

WNIN | By John Gibson

Published April 28, 2026 at 2:26 PM CDT

Contractors with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test air samplers at the hazardous materials cleanup at the site of a former warehouse on Morton Avenue in Evansville. The machines will test for asbestos and other contaminants during the remediation process. (Two women wearing high-visibility vests are setting up small square boxes from the back of a parked SUV near the fence. Beyond is the expansive crumbling concrete site of a former warehouse; piles of rubble and heavy equipment are seen. — Contractors with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test air samplers at the hazardous materials cleanup at the site of a former warehouse on Morton Avenue in Evansville, Tuesday April 28. The machines will test for asbestos and other contaminants during the remediation process. Standing is Alexia Scholl, crouching is Eleanor Roeder.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it's cleaning up asbestos and PCBs from the former Morton Avenue Warehouse in Evansville

The Environmental Protection Agency has begun assessing and cleaning-up hazardous waste at the former Morton Avenue Warehouse site. WNIN’s John Gibson has details:

The EPA says it plans to remove asbestos and PCBs from the site in Evansville.

The federal agency says it will identify and consolidate hazardous substances before transporting and disposing the waste.

During the cleanup, the EPA says it will monitor the air and add water to the debris to prevent contaminants leaving the site.

EPA On-Scene Coordinator Corey Peaslee speaks to a TV station Tuesday, April 28, at the site of the former Morton Warehousing buildings which burned in 2022. the EPA is setting up the worksite, and he expects to being cleanup work in earnest the first week of May. (A man with an EPA hat and shirt stands before a TV camera, the site of the warehouse behind him.) — EPA On-Scene Coordinator Corey Peaslee speaks to a TV station Tuesday, April 28, at the site of the former Morton Warehousing buildings which burned in 2022. the EPA is setting up the worksite, and he expects to being cleanup work in earnest the first week of May.

The agency says runoff control will be in place to prevent rainwater or water used onsite from entering storm drains.

Residents can expect increased truck traffic and may see workers wearing protective gear.

Much of the warehouse was destroyed by fire in October 2022.

The property was originally a production facility for the Hercules Buggy Company, Servel-Electrolux produced refrigerators on the site from the 1920s to the 1950s, and during World War II, workers produced wings for P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, and other defense-related materials.

Whirlpool operated on the site from the late 1950s to mid-1970s.

The former site of Morton Warehousing on Morton Avenue in Evansville is now the scene of a large EPS cleanup. The warehouse burned in late 2022. Originally an expansive complex of red brick buildings, it opened in 1902 as the Hercules Buggy Company. Asbestos and other contaminants are are being monitored during cleanup. (A sign warning viewers of asbestos ... is bolted to a chain link fence encircling the larger foot print of the former warehouse site.) April 28 2026 — The former site of Morton Warehousing on Morton Avenue in Evansville is now the scene of a large EPA cleanup. The warehouse burned in late 2022. Originally an expansive complex of red brick buildings, it opened in 1902 as the Hercules Buggy Company. Asbestos and other contaminants are are being monitored during cleanup.